Charles Augustus Rocke (5 October 1800 – 22 November 1865) was an English cricketer who played in six first-class matches between 1822 and 1828.

Charles Rocke
Personal information
Full name
Charles Augustus Rocke
Born(1800-10-05)5 October 1800
Calcutta, British India
Died22 November 1865(1865-11-22) (aged 65)
Calcutta, British India
RoleWicket-keeper
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1828Kent
Source: CricketArchive, 30 March 2013

Rocke was born at Calcuta in British India in 1800, the third son of Richard and Susannah Rocke (née Pattle). He was educated at Eton before going up to Jesus College, Cambridge in 1821.[1][2][3] He made his first-class cricket debut for Cambridge University in 1822 and went on to play in five other first-class matches, playing twice for the Gentlemen against the Players and once for MCC in 1827, and twice for Kent XIs the following year.[a][4] He scored a total of 47 runs and took six wickets in these matches[4] and is known to have also played for a side organised by Benjamin Aislabie at Lord's in 1826.[3]

Little is known about Rocke's later life. In 1830 he was cited as a "bankrupt" in a notice in The Times[5] and he is believed to have emigrated to Borneo in 1849, where his second cousin James Brooke was Rajah of Sarawak.[1][2][3] He died on 22 November 1865, aged 65, at Calcutta.[6]

Notes

edit
  1. ^ The identity of the Rocke who played for Kent sides is in some doubt. Although the appearances are generally credited to Charles Augustus the 1907 History of Kent Cricket only refers to the player as Rocke and provides no biography.[3]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b Staplyton HEC ed (1864) Eton School Lists, 1791 to 1850, p. 84. London: EP Williams. ((Available online at The Internet Archive. Retrieved 18 April 2024.)
  2. ^ a b "Rocke, Charles Augustus (RK821CA)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
  3. ^ a b c d Carlaw D (2020) Kent County Cricketers A to Z. Part One: 1806–1914 (revised edition), pp. 469–470. (Available online at the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. Retrieved 16 August 2022.)
  4. ^ a b "Charles Rocke". CricketArchive. Retrieved 30 March 2013.
  5. ^ "Property Notices". The Times. No. 14402. London. 6 December 1830. p. 8.
  6. ^ "Deaths". Allen's Indian Mail. Vol. 24, no. 701. London: W. H. Allen & Co. 8 January 1866. p. 17. OCLC 906529541. Retrieved 8 October 2023.